Dial operating device



J. E. ANDERSON DIAL OPERATING DEVICE Sept. 30, 1947.

Filed Dec. 5, 1945 1 INVENTOR I Jar/res zf'. fl/rder so/r A W Patented Sept. 30, 1947 UNITED STATES. PATENT OFFICE 3 Claims.

This invention relates to a telephone dial operating device and it is one object of the invention to provide a device which may be applied as an attachment to the telephone in such manher that it will be held in place and in such position that it may be readily grasped-when it is .to be used. I

Another object of the invention is to provide a dial operating device having a mounting member provided with a hook for engaging the finger stop of a dial telephone where it will be out of the way and not interfere with the movement of the dial.

Another object of the invention is to provide a device of this character wherein the mounting member or block carries a resilient strip to the free end of which is mounted a dial engaging member so formed that it is supported in an upright position and may be readily grasped by its upper portion and its lower end fitted into openings of the dial when dialing a telephone number.

Another object of the invention is to provide a device of this character which may be used'as an advertising novelty or souvenir.

The invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawings wherein:

Fig. 1 is a view showing the dial operating device applied to a telephone and in position for use.

Fig. 2 is a perspective view of the dial operating device.

Fig. 3 is a sectional View taken transversely through the mounting block along the line 3-3 of Figure 2.

Fig. 4 is a sectional view taken transversely through the dial engaging member along the line 4-4 of Figure 2,

This improved dial operating device is intended for use in connection with a telephone of standard dial construction, the telephone being indicated in general by the numeral l and its dial by the numeral 2. The dial is formed with the usual openings 3 through which it is customary to engage a finger or a pencil in order to turn the dial when dialing a number. When a finger is used for turning the dial the letters and numbers which show through the openings become soiled or scratched by a finger nail and if a pencil is used they become marked to such an extent that it is often almost impossible to read them. The improved operating device constituting the subject matter of this invention prevents this.

The operating device is shown in perspective in Figure 2 and consists briefly of a mounting memher or block d, a resilient strip 5, anda dial engaging member 6. Th block 4 may be formed of wood, metal, plastic or other suitable material and in spaced relation to its upper and lower ends is formed with a groove i which extends about the block transversely and at the .inner side of the block is enlarged to form a recess 8. The groove and the recess form a seat for aU- shaped clip 9 formed from a strip of resilient metal and this clip has one arm bent back to form a hook Iii which projects from the block sulficiently to permit it to engage .across the shank H of the finger stop l2 of the telephoneand grip the same so that the block will be firmly but detachably held in place and disposed outwardly of the dial 2 at a side thereof.

Thestrip 5 is formed from resilient sheet vmetal and has one end portion tightly mounted in a groove I3 formed across the upper end of the block A and the outer or fre end portion of the resilient strip is bent to form a loop I4 provided with an ear l5 extending therefrom and secured against a confronting side face of the strip. The strip normally extends straight from the block, as shown in Figure 2, but since it is formed of thin resilient sheet metal it may be fiexed longitudinally very easily during use of the device and it will not become bent out of shape or cracked and broken. Y

The dial-engaging member 6 may be formed of any suitable material and has its lower end I6 rounded so that it may be readily fitted into an opening of the dial and fit snugly therein for turning movement in the opening as the dial is turned during a dialing operation. The diameter of the rounded lower end It is such that while it may be conveniently inserted into an opening of the dial its lower end will be held out of contact with the printed numbers and letters which show through the openings of the dial. Therefore the numbers and letters will not become scraped and partially or entirely obliterated. Above its rounded lower end the dial engaging member is formed with a circumferentially extending groove 11 into which the loop l4 fits to rotatably mount the dial engaging member and securely hold it in engagement with the strip. The upper portion of the dial engaging member constitutes a handle or finger engaging portion and this upper portion may be formed with fiat side faces so that it may be readily grasped and held without slipping out of a persons hand. 'Since the upper portion of the dial engaging member has wide and fiat side faces advertising matter may be printed upon it. If so desired the upper portion of the dial engaging member may have the shape of a bottle or other container and used for advertising well known products. After a telephone number has been dialed the dial-engaging member is withdrawn from the dial and released and the strip 5 will return to its normally straight position shown in Figure 2 and support the dial-engaging member under the dial where it will be out of the way but so located that it may be readily grasped when it is again to be used.

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed is:

1. A telephone dial operating device comprising a block having flat side faces, a U-shaped clip formed from a strip of resilient material and having an end portion bent back upon itself to form a hook integral with an arm of the bill, said clip straddling said block transversely thereof and seated in a groove formed transversely of the block in side faces thereof the hook being disposed in'a recess formed in a side face of the block and having its free end projecting from the block and bent to form a bill for guiding the hook across a finger stop of a telephone dial into position for gripping the finger stop, an elongated strip of resilient metal extending from the upper end of said block and having an inner end mounted in a groove formed across the upper end of the block, a vertically disposed dial-engaging member having a rounded lower end for engaging in a finger-receiving opening of a dial and adjacent its rounded lower end being formed with a circumferentially extending groove, and the said strip of resilient metal having its outer end portion bent to form a loop fitting loosely about the dial-engaging member in the groove thereof and rotatably mounting the dial engaging member.

2. A telephone dial operating device comprising a block, a U-shaped clip formed from a strip of resilient material and having a portion bent to form a hook integral with an arm of the bill, said clip straddling said block transversely thereof and'seated in a groove formed transversely thereof, the hook being disposed in a recess formed in the inner side face of the block and having its free end projecting from the block and bent to form a bill for guiding the hook across a finger stop of a telephone dial into position for gripping the finger stop, a strip of resilient metal carried by the upper portion of said block and extending from the block transversely thereof, and a vertically disposed dial-engaging member having a rounded lower end for engaging in finger-receiving openings of a dial and adjacent its lower end being formed with a circumferentially extending groove, the outer end portion of the strip of resilient metal being bent to form a loop fitting loosely about the lower portion of the dial-engaging member in the groove thereof and rotatably mounting the same, and the portion of the dial engaging member above its groove constituting a handle and having flat side faces in opposed relation to each other.

3. A telephone dial operating device comprising a block, a clip gripping said block and provided with an outstanding hook at one side for engaging a finger stop of a dial and detachably mounting the block, a strip of resilient metal carried by said block and extending from a side of the block transversely thereof, a vertically disposed dial engaging member having a rounded lower end for engaging in finger-receiving openings of a dial and an upper portion constituting a handle, and said resilient strip having its outer end portion formed with a loop fitting loosely about the dial-engaging member in a circumferentially extending seat and rotatably mounting the same.

JAMES E. ANDERSON.

REFERENCES CITED UNITED STATES PATENTS Name Date Kirkman June 2, 1942 Number 

